St. Jude: Through the Years

February 4, 1962 - Danny Thomas kisses the toe of St. Jude Thaddeus as Mrs. Thomas looks on during the formal opening of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "This is the greatest day of my life," the television performer observed. "If I should die this minute, I would know why I was born." Some 9,000 people turned out for the opening. (The Commercial Appeal)

May 24, 1955 - Letters containing contributions for St. Jude Hospital overflowed the desk of Mrs. Dottie Creason of 850 Biggs, secretary at National Bank of Commerce. Mail was pouring in from all over the country as a result of a television appeal by Danny Thomas. Three days later, a benefit was held at Crump Stadium. (Robert Williams/The Commercial Appeal)

June 28, 1957 - Elvis Presley made an appearance, but did not sing at Russwood Park for a benefit for St. Jude's Hospital. Elvis is flanked by comic Lou Costello and actress Jane Russell. Others appearing on the program before an estimated crowd of 11,000 were singers Roberta Sherwood, Ferlin Husky and actress Susan Hayward. (Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)

November 2, 1958 - Danny Thomas handled hilmself like a real fireman when it came to extinguishing a condemned house set afire to dramatize the St. Jude project on the day of the groundbreaking for the hospital. The hospital will be erected on the site where the house stood. Thomas asked the crowd of some 5,000 spectators packing the triangle of ground at Jackson, Lauderdale and Alabama to "say silent prayers of your denominations" as he turned the earth for his long-cherished dream. (The Commercial Appeal files)

April 13, 1961 - "He's just resting," quipped Danny Thomas after removing the side of a crate for a look at the statue of St. Jude Thaddeus, the television comedian's gift for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "He'll be standing on his feet for a long time," said Thomas. Smiling broadly also is Joe Gattas, city director of American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, which will maintain St. Jude. The hospital opened in February, 1962. (Barney Sellers/The Commercial Appeal)

February, 1962 - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital around the time of its February 4 formal opening. "It took a rabble-rousing, hook-nosed comedian to get your attention," said Danny Thomas at the opening. "But it took your loving generous hears to make this dream come true." Gov. Buford Ellington called the occasion "one of the greatest days for children that our state has ever seen." (Special Collections/University of Memphis Libraries)

February 4, 1962 - A jubilant Danny Thomas hoists Bruce Frager up towards the statue of St. Jude Thaddeus in front of St. Jude Research Hospital at Jackson and Lauderdale at the formal opening of the hospital February 4, 1962. "This is the greatest day of my life," the television performer observed. "If I should die this minute, I would know why I was born." Some 9,000 people turned out for the opening. ( Fred Griffith / The Commercial Appeal)

February 4, 1962 - A jubilant Danny Thomas speaks to the assembled crowd at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for the formal opening of the hospital. "This is the greatest day of my life," the television performer observed. "If I should die this minute, I would know why I was born." Some 9,000 people turned out for the opening. (Fred Griffith/The Commercial Appeal)

February 4, 1962 - A jubilant Danny Thomas kissed a little Chinese-American girl as youngsters representing every racial and ethnic group in the city clustered about the statue of St. Jude Thaddeus in front of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at Jackson and Lauderdale at the formal opening of the hospital. "This is the greatest day of my life," the television performer observed. "If I should die this minute, I would know why I was born." Some 9,000 people turned out for the opening. (Fred Griffith/The Commercial Appeal)

January, 1963 - Mrs. William F. Gabb, lab tech at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, prepares the hospital's new electron microscope for use by research scientists. The $40,000 Siemens electron microscope was installed to assist researchers seeking ways to help children suffering from leukemia and other childhood diseases. The German instrument is the only one of its kind in the Mid-South. It will be used in identification and characterization of viruses and in the study of the growth of both normal and malignant cells. (Courtesy Special Collections/University of Memphis Libraries)

February 14, 1964 - Elvis Presley turns over the papers for the S.S. Potomac, former presidential yacht of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Danny Thomas, founder of St. Jude Hospital in Long Beach, CA. Presley purchased the yacht to keep it from being scrapped. Thomas accepted the boat for St. Jude, a non-sectarian project dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic diseases of children. It is hoped that the boat will be sold as soon as possible and the money used in research for children's diseases. Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, is in the background. (United Press International)

June, 1964 - Far from the city heat, nestled in St. Jude Hospital's "icebox," Technologist Marlene Hamlin conducts a frigid experiment. While other Memphians bake outside in the 90's, scientists spend their working day wrapped in gloves, hoods, and insulated quilted sky jackets. It's an immunology lab where proteins are separated from blood serum and anti-bodies are obtained which are used to fight polio and other diseases. Heat would contaminate and deteriorate the anti-bodies. Temperature is kept around freezing. (Courtesy Special Collections/University of Memphis Librariesl)

October, 1966 - "This is Elvis Presley, Gina." And the voice was wishing Gina William a happy seventh birthday in her room at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital where she is under treatment for a malignant tumor. The birthday phone call is only the beginning. Elvis promised to visit her when he gets home in about a month, and she got an autographed picture from him and one of his albums. Gina also talked with her friends back home in York County, Virginia, through a telephone hook-up with a radio station. She is the daughter of Mrs. Eddie James Williams. (William Leaptrott, Courtesy Special Collections/University of Memphis Libraries)

January, 1969 - Marilyn Ramberg counts blood cells in the Hematology lab at St. Jude Children's Hospital. Since opening its doors, St. Jude has treated about 1,358 children, of whom 400 had leukemia. Currently, more than 100 are in remission, of whom 14 are considered in complete remission. Of the 14, eight are no longer receiving medication. (Charles Nicholas/The Commercial Appeal)

January 1969 - Being in isolation at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital doesn't keep 8-year-old Jamie Lynn Davidson from giving dad, James T. Davidson of Huntsville, Ala., a gap-tooth giggle during a teasing session. (Charles Nicholas/The Commercial Appeal)

June, 1969 - Dr. Mauricio da Costa Val and his daughter, Denise, in a waiting room at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Last Christmas Eve, it was determined that Denise had leukemia. Her father, an anesthesiologist, learned of St. Jude and brought his daughter from Brazil to been seen by doctors. On May 27, almost without notice, Dr. Val showed up in the St. Jude lobby with Denise. To get here, Dr. Val sold his car and turned over his practice to another doctor. He sent his wife and son, Sergio, to live with his parents. (Barney Sellers/ The Commercial Appeal)

May 29, 1970 - Patty Ann Dougherty, Miss ALSAC, 6, got an appreciative hug from Marlo Thomoas at a benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at Wooddale High School. Patty, the daughter of Mrs. Jenifer Dougherty, won the ALSAC (Aiding Lukemia-Stricken American Children) title, by selling $271 worth of tickets to the dance program at Wooddale. Robb Mitchell / The Commercial Appeal files.

May 30, 1970 - Danny Thomas and daughter Marlo Thomas arrive at Memphis International Airport. They are in town, along with Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore and Jerry Lewis for the Shower of Stars at the Mid-South Coliseum to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)

May 30, 1970 - Comedian Jerry Lewis signs autographs for some Memphis policemen after his performance at the 1970 Shower of Stars. The charity show is scheduled to become an annual benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Jack E. Cantrell, Special Collections/University of Memphis Libraries)

November 12, 1970 - Dr. Rhomes J.A. Aur, of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with Steven Ray of Jackson, Miss. who has been receiving treatment for leukemia for two years. Announcement of a 17 percent cure rate in leukemia was made at the hospital today. Danny Thomas revealed the news last night on Johnny Carson's "Tonight" show. Hospital administrator, Carl Simmons, explained this involves cases on which work started six years ago under a treatment called Total III. Dr. J. Simone, head of St. Jude's hemotology division, said the cure rate was among those with lymphocytic leukemia, the most prevalent type of the disease, found among 75 percent of the children stricken. (James R. Reid, Special Collections/University of Memphis Libraries)

May 29, 1971 - Frank Sinatra was the headline performer at the St. Jude Shower of Stars at the Mid-South Coliseum. Also performing for the benefit of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital were Danny Thomas, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., Vikki Carr and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The benefit raised an estimated $175,000 for the hospital founded by Danny Thomas. (Dave Darnell / The Commercial Appeal)

May 29, 1971 - Tennessee Ernie Ford (left), Danny Thomas (center) and Sammy Davis, Jr. (right) chatted back stage prior to the St. Jude Shower of Stars at the Mid-South Coliseum. Also performing at the benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital were Bob Hope, Vikki Carr and Frank Sinatra. The benefit raised an estimated $175,000 for the hospital. (Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)

May 17, 1973 - Danny Thomas at St. Jude with youngesters Chris Spears, 6, (left) and Cary Meadows, 11. Chris had seen Danny three times already , but waited outside St. Jude to photograph him this time. Both were outpatients at St. Jude.( Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)

May 25, 1974 - Television pitch man and Tonight Show straightman Ed McMahon entertains at the St. Jude Shower of Stars at the Mid-South Coliseum. (Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal

March 24, 1978 - Members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity at the University of Tennessee-Martin and Austin Peay State University prepared to count four wheelbarrows of money. They gathered the money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by pushing the wheelbarrows from Martin to Memphis and gathering contributions from motorists along the way. (Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)

June 7, 1978 - Danny Thomas signs an autograph for nursing technician, Evelyn Matthews, as he and former President Gerald Ford were on a tour of St. Jude. Thomas teased reporters that he was running for president and "Jerry Ford is going to be my advisor." (Robb Mitchell /The Commercial Appeal)

June 7, 1978 - Former President Gerald Ford signs autographs for kids and their parents during a tour of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Touring the hospital with Danny Thomas, the two men took their time at the facility, shaking hands, signing autographs and personally wishing the young patients "good luck". (Robb Mitchell /The Commercial Appeal)

March 27, 1979 - A five man fraternity team left St. Jude Children's Research Hospital practices for their upcoming mission to roll a beer keg across the country, calling attention to the hospital and the need for cancer research. Making up the team from Tau Kappa Epsilon are (from left) Jim Wolf of Marshall, MO., team leader; Larry Middaugh of Newberry, S.C.; Warren Muench of Harrisonburg, VA.; Bill Ringen of Ashland, Ohio and David Rogers of Des Moines, Iowa. They'll drive van to Boston, where they will begin their cross country journey. They expected to spend 10 weeks rolling the aluminum beer keg from Boston to Los Angeles. (Robb Mitchell /The Commercial Appeal)

July 31, 1980 - Patients of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital mimic two members of the cast of the Broadway show Annie in imaginary balloon-blowing. Rosanne Sorrentino, right, stars as the wide-eyed orphan, and Deborah Jean Templin plays the secretary of Annie's benefactor, Daddy Warbucks. The pair put on another kinds of show at the hospital today, showing mime, makeup and song techniques. The play will be staged at the Orpheum through August 9. (Jack Gurner, Special Collections/University of Memphis Libraries)

February 4, 1982 - A Louisiana man angered by his son's death from leukemia took three hostages at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at midafternoon. His 6-year-old son, a St. Jude patient, had died in 1980. Jean Claude Goulet was shot and killed in a burst of automatic rifle fire from a police marksman about 8:45 the following night, freeing three hostages who had been held at gunpoint for more than 32 hours. (Richard Gardner/The Commercial Appeal)

The Commercial Appeal

February 5, 1982 - Hostage Jean Marie Cox is rushed into a rear entrance of St. Jude after she was freed from her captor, Jean Claude Goulet, February 5, 1982. Goulet, apparently upset over the death of his son from leukemia at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, had held three people hostage at the facility for some 32 hours before he was shot by police. (By Jim Shearin/ The Commercial Appeal)

February 17, 1982 - Jean Marie Cox with "A.J." West, 7, of Syracuse, Ind. at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Cox was one of three hostages held by Jean Claude Goulet, eariler in the month. (Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal)

The Commercial Appeal

March 5, 1983 - Dark clouds remain in the northeast sky as the windows of St. Jude reflect the glow of the sunset to the west. (David Smart/The Commercial Appeal)

The Commercial Appeal

July 29, 1987 - Miss America, Kellye Cash, signs autographs for staff and patients at St. Jude children's Research Hospital. She was visiting the hospital with founder Danny thomas, Michael Jordan, Archie Manning and others in connection with the Federal Express St. Jude Classic Golf Tournament. (Thomas Busler / The Commercial Appeal)

February 7, 1991 - Beatrice Howard mops the marble floor in front of the crypt in the Danny Thomas/ALSAC Pavillion that will soon be the resting place of Danny Thomas. The pavilion sits near the main entrance to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Lisa Waddell/The Commercial Appeal)

February 9, 1991 - Hundreds payed their final respects to Danny Thomas at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis Saturday evening. Thomas will be buried in a special crypt Sunday at the hospital he founded. (Steve Jones/The Commercial Appeal)

February 9, 1991 - Beth Schable, a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and her parents, Sandy and Richard, were among hundreds paying final respects to Danny Thomas at the hospital's pavilion in Memphis Saturday evening. Thomas will be buried in a special crypt Sunday at the hospital he founded. (Steve Jones/The Commercial Appeal)

February 10, 1991 - Memphis Fire Department driver Gene Scott pays tribute to Danny Thomas as the entertainer's funeral procession passes by Engine Company One at 211 Jackson Sunday. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was founded by Thomas, is seen in the background. (Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal)

May 16, 1991 - Gary Apple and Eddie Holder move the 5,000-pound marble statue of St. Jude in front of the children's hospital Thursday to a temporary pedestal by the new research tower. It will go back when a new patient care building is finished in 1994. Among mementoes from the 1962 dedication found under the statue was 75 cents donated by an 11-year-old boy, Billy Johnson, 11, from Peoria, Ill, to founder Danny Thomas to help the hospital. (Lisa Waddell/The Commercial Appeal)

September 18, 1991 - Erik Hubbard, 11, of Normal, Ill., is taking part in experimental treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital designed to increase the survival of young patients with brain tumors. This year cancer will be diagnosed in about 7,800 American children. In about 20 percent of patients, the diagnosis will involve a brain tumor, the second most common childhood cancer after leukemia. While standard treatment involves seven weeks of daily radiation treatment, Erik's treatment includes chemotherapy so powerful that it was followed by a reinfusion of bone marrow harvested from him beforehand. This transplant was needed to restore his disease-fighting immune system. The next step will be the radioactive implants followed by standard radiation treatment in which the radiation is directed toward the tumor from outside the skull. St. Jude started experimenting with the implants in 1988, Dr. Larry Kun said. ''The application in adults over the last 10 to 15 years convinced us that it is reasonably effective in selective types of brain tumors, " Dr. Kun said. The idea is to reduce treatment failures by boosting the radiation delivered to the center of the tumor without killing healthy cells. Dr. James Fontanesi explained that normal cells are better able to handle the low-dose continuous radiation than are the tumor cells. The radioactive seeds are implanted for a week between the chemotherapy and twice-daily radiation therapy. (Robert Cohen/The Commercial Appeal)

October 9, 1991 - George Pierce III, of Horn Lake, Miss., peeps around the corner to watch Marlo Thomas and the filming of a one-hour documentary. She is following in her father's footsteps as host of a fund-raising documentary about seven success stories of patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Lisa Waddell/The Commercial Appeal)

October 9, 1991 - Marlo Thomas enjoys at patient at St. Jude while her producer, Richard Davis, tries to get Marlo back to business. She is following in her father's footsteps as host of a one-hour fund-raising documentary about seven success stories of patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Lisa Waddell/The Commercial Appeal)

October 9, 1991 - Marlo Thomas visits with 8-year-old Diego Bayona and other St. Jude patients during a break in filming. She is following in her father's footsteps as host of a one-hour fund-raising documentary about seven success stories of patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Lisa Waddell/The Commercial Appeal)

September 9, 1992 - Cancer patient Gil Brazeale of Forrest City, Ark., waits by a tv monitor to begin an interview with NBC's Stone Phillips at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude will be featured next month on a Dateline NBC television program about cancer research. (Michael McMullan/The Commercial Appeal)

October 7, 1994 - Danny Thomas' children - Tony, Terre and Marlo and Hillary Clinton pose with St. Jude patient, Ruthie Gant, as Ruthie's mother, Debbie Gant, makes the picture. At the invitation of actress Marlo Thomas, the first lady came to Memphis to help dedicate St. Jude's new $28.5 million patient care building. Her trip lasted about seven hours, including time to meet with parents and their children undergoing chemotherapy and discuss sickle cell anemia research. (Robert Cohen/The Commercial Appeal)

October 10, 1994 - Michael Jackson , with his wife, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson (left), thrilled Danielle Truxillo with a gift and greeting at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. With Danielle was her mother, Kathy. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

October 10, 1994 - Michael Jackson , with his wife, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson on a visit to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Two days earlier, the couple attended "Elvis Aaron Presley: The Tribute, " at The Pyramid. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

November 8, 1995 - Tetsuya Mosaka, a scientist at St. Jude Children's Hospital, examines one of a group of mice bred by the hospital for genetic research. The mouse has an immune system similar to sufferers of a disease called severe combined immunodeficiency disease or SCID. The disease affects roughtly one in 100,000 newborns. (Robert Cohen/The Commercial Appeal)

October 7, 1996 - Nobel Prize winner Dr. Peter Doherty, right, receives congratulations from St. Jude faculty member Dr. Gopal Murti upon arriving at his office Monday, just hours after getting word of his win from the Nobel committee. (Michael McMullan/The Commercial Appeal)

October 7, 1996 - Dr. Peter Doherty waits for applause given to him by co-workers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to die down during a brief ceremony to commemorate Doherty's Nobel Prize win which was announced Monday. (Michael McMullan/The Commercial Appeal)

October 7, 1996 - Dr. Peter Doherty relaxes in his office at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis Monday where he fielded a barrage of interview request from news media around the world following announcement of his Nobel Prize win for medicine. (Michael McMullan/The Commercial Appeal)

February 20, 1997 - Shelby Heard, right, and Cara Solon, left, cast eyes on different ends of the stadium court as they watch Todd Martin defeat Guillaume Raoux in Thursday action in the Kroger St. Jude tennis tournament at the Racquet Club. (Michael McMullan/The Commercial Appeal)

June 29, 1997 - Greg Norman is greeted by shouts and high-fives as he walks off the 18th green with a one stroke win of the FedEx St. Jude Classic at Southwind. (Robert Cohen/The Commercial Appeal)

January 8, 2000 - Three-year-old Carson Jones, of Chesapeake, Virginia and a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital suffering with an ependymoma (a type of brain tumor) and has been staying with her family since December at the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis cuddles up with a 2 1/2 week-old goat brought to the Ronald McDonald House by the Mid-South Little Britches Youth Rodeo along with horses for the children to ride on Saturday. (Jack Gruber/The Commercial Appeal)

May 30, 2000 - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and other buildings in the St. Jude Complex. Photograph taken from southwest of main entrance to hospital, which is in center of photograph. Interstate 40 is at bottom right. (Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal)

June 21, 2000 - The new addition to the Ronald McDonald House on Alabama is celebrating its grand opening, doubling its capacity. John Buckles,5, from Oklahoma is staying there while receiving treatment. Many of St. Judes patients are out patient and they need a place to stay while in treatment. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

August 2, 2000 - Joy Pautler, right, is reunited with her deceased son's favorite nurse Mary Horwitz before the start of a charity run to Peoria which started at St. Jude Hospital Wednesday morning. Pautler, whose husband is participating in the relay run, lost her son to cancer nine years ago. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

October 20, 2000 - Pop diva Tina Turner meets with the media at Target House Friday afternoon. Topping off Turner's visit, which included tours of St. Jude and Target House, was her presentation of a $250, 000 donation to fund pediatric AIDS research at the hospital. Turner's visit coincided with the final leg of her U.S. concert tour, "Tina One Last Time". (Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal)

December 18, 2001 - Daylin Coleman, 6, greets Lynn Wynn who is the director of the Hydroxyurea program at St. Jude's Children Hospital. Daylin participated in the program that studied the use of a particular drug on children between birth and age two. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

December 21, 2001 - Blair Mills, 5, and her brother Jacob Mills, 1, toy with presents under one of the Target House's many christmas trees. St. Jude tries to make sure that it's patients get to go home for Christmas, but a few like Blair will have to stay at the Target House through the holidays because of Blair's acute Neuroblastoma. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

May 23, 2001 - At the start of her chemotherapy treatment, there is little that Starsha Hall feels like doing other than watching TV and thinking about her future. Starsha has come to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to treat her sickle cell disease for years. (A.J. Wolfe/The Commercial Appeal)

July 26, 2002 - Over a year after her bone marrow transplant, Starsha Hall stands back to back with Dr. Owen Phillips at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital during a check-up. Her cousin LaChandra Jackson, 15, is at right. With her treatment a success, life is getting back to normal for the 15-year-old. She will continue to be on medication for some time to come though. (A.J. Wolfe/The Commercial Appeal)

August 21, 2002 - Hanna Haghayeghi, of Springfield, Mo. tries on a space suit at St. Jude's Children's Hospital on Wednesday. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center presented a special program to the children at St. Jude. Hanna got to learn first hand the secrets of the astronauts including what they do when they have an itch and how they go to the bathroom while in their space suits. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

January 7, 2003 - At times what Chaplin Lisa Anderson experiences in St. Jude challenges her faith. "What it has done makes me more comfortable about questioning." She says she takes comfort in not having to have big answers, because even though she does not always understand the "whys" in many situations she says it is not a question of the presence of God. "God is always there" she says with confidence. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

January 7, 2003 - Lisa Anderson (left) offers support to Tonya and Nick Dison as they wait for doctors to perform a stem cell transplant on their son Matthew. Part of Lisa's role is to help parents accept the reality that their children may not survive their cancer. At the same time, she offers them hope that their child could defy the odds. While Matthews prognosis was poor, the hope that St. Jude Children's Hospital offers is "that this could be the one." The cells engrafted but complications developed which resulted in his death afterwards. Anderson became very important to Tonya Dison, who was from Louisana. Dison,20, had to leave many of her support systems behind. Her son Matthew spent almost his entire life at St. Jude. She was never able to bring him home. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

Mon 5 Jan 04 (awgriz) Photo by A.J. Wolfe. After the official program was over, Memphis Grizzlies' Bo Outlaw (cq) gets a hug from Luseana Pese (cq), 9, at the grand opening of the Memphis Grizzlies House Monday. Pese is a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The Memphis Grizzlies donated $5 million of the $10 million toward the construction of the facility which will house patients at St. Jude.

March 16, 2004 - Jylisa Luellen, 6, who lost a leg to bone cancer, watches an Irish jig by members of Inis Acla School of Irish Dance on Tuesday at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The dance group has been fielding a full schedule in light of St. Patrick's Day. (Lance Murphey/The Commercial Appeal)

October 6, 2004 - Richard Shadyac is the CEO of ALSACC, a fundraising group which raises money for St. Jude. Mr. Shadyac died Wednesday night, Sept. 16, 2009, in Falls Church, Va., after suffering a long illness. He was 80. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

October 6, 2004 - Micromolecular Synthesis Specialist Scott Olsen builds DNA sections to be used in research at the Hartwell Center, one of the many labs operating at St Jude Children's Research Hospital on Wednesday, Oct 6th. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

June 16, 2005 - Jackie Brown is trying to get his GED to help him find work and better cope with his family's finacial difficulties. His daughter Olivia O'Neal is a cancer patient at St. Jude. The state is offering free GED tests through the end of the month for people who can't afford it otherwise. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

August 16, 2006 - Rachael James has a rare form of leukemia. She has been treated at St. Jude for about two and a half years. Her father, Bret James , is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's " Team in Training " fundraising project. They raise money for leukemia treatment and research. (Alan Spearman/The Commercial Appeal)

September 29, 2006 - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital patient Macy Jean Morgan, 21 months, is a bundle of energy after receiving a Young Hero award Friday given to her by the Missouri National Guard. Morgan, whose father Brian is a Lt. Colonel in the guard, has Wilms tumor, a malignant kidney tumor. The award is given annually to a child "who displays courage and bravery while battling a life-threatening disease, illness or injury." (Lance Murphey/The Commercial Appeal)

March 5, 2007 - Dr. Damon Reed works in the "green room" at St. Jude's new Chemical Biology and Theraputics Lab where robotic testing of samples can sometimes be photo-sensitive forcing scientists to work under green lights. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

April 18, 2007 - Leia Fraley,8, bravely inhales the sweetly scented gas, as her nurse comforts her in the operating room. Her family traveled from Virginia to St. Jude where she is a patient. This is her third brain surgery. The pediatric brain tumor team at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center has a partnership with St. Jude. Le Bonheur provides the facility and staff to handle young patients who need surgery. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

April 26, 2007 - Leia Fraley waits in the lobby of St. Jude Children's Hospital for some medication she got while on a recent visit to Memphis. Her mother, Deanna is at right. (Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal)

May 25, 2007 - Kelvin Bates hugs Krista Mills , left, following a graduation ceremony at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Mills, 19, graduated from Bolton High School and then again at St. Jude along with 17 other students there as part of their second annual commencement ceremony. Bates worked as her school counselor before taking a job at St. Jude. In the foreground, Rocquez Martin, a graduate of Manassas High School and also patient at St. Jude, hugs Crysta Wilson. (A.J. Wolfe/The Commercial Appeal)

August 15, 2007 - Guitar legend James Burton holds a guitar as St. Jude patient Leilani Gregory, 3, tries it out during a presentation and photo opportunity at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Burton, who played with Elvis Presley and numerous others, donated 25 guitars and teaching DVDs to the hospital in honor of Elvis Week. He and his wife Louise have given away 600 guitars through the James Burton Foundation. (A.J. Wolfe/The Commercial Appeal)

November 30, 2008 - Victor Barrada, 2, spends a few moments with Santa for a photo op and a chance to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. For many St. Jude patients like Victor, it is not usually feasible for them to come to many public places due to their need for sterile environments. St. Jude and Wolfcase Galleria hosted a family night at the mall for St. Jude patients with volunteers coming beforehand to make sure every possible surface was clean and safe for the kids to run around and play. (Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal)

January 8, 2009 - Twelve-year-old Nitalia Conti's parents, grandmother and two younger sisters are all in Memphis while she gets treatment for a brain tumor at St. Jude. The Arizona family couldn't stay at the Ronald McDonald or Target Houses because there's a limit on family size so several Memphians have provided a furnished downtown condo for the family. (Matthew Craig/The Commercial Appeal)

February 18, 2009 - St. Jude patient Andrew Dyer greets Dr. Alberto Broniscer as he makes his rounds with medical student Gustavo Furas. Furas is a former patient of St. Jude who now works with some of the same physicians who treated him. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

April 22, 2010 - Tommy Montoya, 27, prepares for an MRI at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital after his annual check-up showed high iron levels in his body. Montoya was treated for Guillain-Barre syndrome with a bone marrow transplant on March 30, 2001. He now faces secondary health issues after beating his leukemia. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)

June 24, 2011 - Actress Marlo Thomas (top left) gets help with a wind blown hair from brother Tony Thomas (top right) as they gathered to have a family picture with a new statue of their father Danny following the unveiling in tribute to the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Friday afternoon. The statue was commissioned by the ALSAC Board of Directors in preparation of the 50th anniversary of the hospital to be celebrated in 2012. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

June 24, 2011 - Marlo Thomas (left) greets a crowd gathered for the unveiling of a statue of her father and founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Danny Thomas Friday afternoon. The statue was commissioned by the ALSAC Board of Directors in preparation of the 50th anniversary of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to be celebrated in 2012. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

July 29, 2011 - Wei Chen (right) and co-pilot Rob Williams are swarmed by family, friends and supporters outside at Wilson Air Center after landing at Memphis International Airport, completing a 70 day trip around the globe. Chen was the first Chinese citizen to complete the journey which he undertook to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal)

August 3, 2011 - St. Jude staff gathers to cheer on some 200 runners participating in the 30th anniversary St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run which started on the hospital campus Wednesday afternoon. Groups of runners alternate in relay shifts for the 465 mile charity run which has generated over $20 million since it began in '81. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

December 4, 2011 - In a twist of Christmas fate, Santa plops down on Boston Simmons' lap Sunday afternoon as the young St. Jude patient takes a rest leaning on his mother during the annual Jingle Bell Ball at the Gibson Guitar Factory. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)